Google pays Samsung a ‘huge sum’ to pre-install Gemini AI app

The fact that Google pays tech companies to promote its services on their devices has long been nothing new. Everyone knows that the corporation pays Apple billions of dollars each year to keep Google as the default search engine on the company’s computers, smartphones, and tablets.

It’s also known that Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year to keep Google as the default search engine on the company’s computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Google had previously struck similar deals with Samsung. Now, according to antitrust litigation between Google and the U.S. Department of Justice, it has been revealed that the company is paying Samsung a “huge sum” to pre-install the Gemini AI app on Galaxy devices.

An antitrust lawsuit between Google and the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that the company is paying Samsung a “huge sum” to pre-install the Gemini AI app on Galaxy devices.

Earlier, during the November 2023 Epic Games v. Google trial, it was revealed that Google paid Samsung $8 billion over four years to pre-install Google’s search engine and Play Store on mobile devices.

This practice continues to this day, despite the fact that, as Bloomberg notes, it has “twice been found to violate the law.” Specifically, a new antitrust ruling in 2024 found that Google’s payments to Samsung for installing default search also violated antitrust laws.

The latest proceeding concerns Google’s monopoly in online search. The Justice Department is seeking a ruling that would force the company to sell its Chrome browser and take other steps to create a more competitive environment.

And it is seeking a judgment that would force the company to sell its Chrome browser and take other steps to create a more competitive environment.

Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist said in court that tough action should be taken against Google to prevent it from using artificial intelligence-based products to further strengthen its monopoly in search. He said Google’s dominance in search helps it improve its AI products, which in turn drive users back to Google search.

The court was presented with documents showing that Google pays Samsung money every month to pre-install Gemini AI on its devices, with the contract including an option to extend through 2028. While the exact amounts were not disclosed, Dahlquist called the monthly payments “enormous.”

The Gemini app has become a centerpiece on Samsung devices since the launch of Galaxy AI along with the Galaxy S24 series. Google and Samsung have been actively collaborating on AI, and some features within that partnership have long remained exclusive to Galaxy devices.